Cookbooks Carry History Lessons
A few of my cookbooks from another era
There was a time when folks had cooks,
Who never did depend on books…
But times have changed for worse we fear,
Housewives handle kitchenware.
- Taken from the preface to Charleston Receipts
I love cookbooks. My collection includes old and new publications from the oldest Junior League cookbook, Charleston Receipts (1950) to Kardea Brown: A Way Home (2023). Recently I acquired some of my late mother’s and aunt’s tried and true cookbooks. The recently acquired books, written in the 1950’s and 1960’s show evidence of regular use over time to create delectable dishes. Pages are stained with butter, splashed with cake batter, and notes with adjustments to recipes made by their owner.
What I love about cookbooks is they tell a story. Reading the preface, the recipes and seeing pictures in these books, you are transported to the culture, setting and society of the era in which they were written.
When I grew up, the 1950 edition of the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook was a staple. I didn’t see my mother use it, but it was there. No matter the level of your cooking skills, this kitchen bible provided basics to understand cuts of meats, meal planning, how to set a table and so forth. Although this is my favorite, I laugh at portions of the book infused with tips to be a perfect 1950’s American homemaker of certain means. Tips include:
“Think pleasant thoughts when working (doing housework all day), It will make every task lighter and more pleasant.” Really?
Other cookbooks Iown include Good Housekeeping Cookbook (1963), River Road Recipes – A Baton Rouge Louisiana Junior League cookbook (1959 reprint in 2002), Kentucky Hospitality: A 200 Year Tradition (1976) and The Fannie Farmer Cookbook (1965).
The recipes in each of these cookbooks have a variety of influence of cultures from people who came to the United States, willingly and through bondage. In Charleston Receipts and River Road Recipes, you find ingredients such as hot pepper, okra and rice in recipes that may have been created by a cook or maid of African descent. Okra, hot pepper and rice are from Africa; traveling to America with enslaved people likely through the port of Charleston from the continent. It’s also likely these recipes passed down through generations of families who cooked and served in the homes of white families.
In the coming months, I look forward to gleaning through these historical pages and selecting a few unfamiliar, familiar and interesting recipes to cook and share. I will keep you posted on that journey.
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